National Museums of Kenya

Natural History Museum of Kenya

The East Africa and Uganda Natural History Society was founded in 1910–11 by persons with an interest in nature in British East Africa.^[3] The group included two canons of the Church Missionary Society: The Rev. Harry Leakey (father of Louis Leakey) and The Rev. Kenneth St. Aubyn Rogers; some government officials: C. W. Hobley and John Ainsworth, doctors, dentists, big-game hunters and plantation owners. In 1911 they established the Natural History Museum and library with an honorary curator. Aladina Visram put up the money for a one-story, two-room building.^[4]

In 1914 they could afford a paid curator. They brought in Arthur Loveridge, a herpetologist, who arrived in March 1914. Loveridge concentrated on collections, with the members volunteering to contribute specimens, labour and funds. They also ran the museum while Loveridge fought for the British in German East Africa. He returned for a brief stay after the war, only to go to America, where he eventually became a Harvard University professor.

Coryndon Museum

The next curator was A. F. J. Gedye. The museum moved to a new building at the corner of Government Road and Kirk Road. Among the new volunteers for the society were Sir Robert Coryndon, Governor of Kenya. At his unexpected death in 1925, Lady Coryndon established the Coryndon Memorial Fund to build a better museum for the society in memory of her husband. The government offered matching funds for public donations and in 1928 construction began.

The building was ready in 1929. Unfortunately no workrooms or storage space had been provided and therefore the Natural History Society declined to move in. The government then bought the old museum and the society used the money to add three rooms, gave its collections to the museum trustees, but retained the library. Everything was moved to the museum. Lady Coryndon donated Sir Robert's books to it.

The museum was officially opened on 22 September 1930, as Coryndon Museum, with Victor Gurney Logan Van Someren, a member, as curator. He was given a house on the grounds. In 1930 Evelyn Molony, née Napier was appointed the museum's first botanist after a grant was given to the museum by Ernest Carr to fund her employment. During her tenure she established within the museum a herbarium on East African plants as well as publishing a series of scientific papers on East African flora.^[5]

The relationship between the museum trustees and the society became problematic, and as a result the two organisations appointed a committee including Sir Charles Belcher, a Kenyan jurist, to stabilise it. The committee turned everything over to the museum except for the library in exchange for annual payments for 15 years to the society.

The museum now had a staff. Mary Leakey became part of it and then Louis Leakey, as unpaid curator, in 1941. He stepped in when Dr. van Someren resigned after the board (including Louis) refused to dismiss Peter Bally in a personality conflict. The museum was a center for Leakey operations. In 1945 Louis was hired as paid curator with a new house, as the old one had become run-down. He built up the exhibitions and opened them to Africans and Asians by lowering the admission fee. Until then the museum had been "for whites only."

The museum was a base for Leakey operations until 1961, when Louis founded the Centre for Prehistory and Paleontology on the grounds nearby and moved himself and his collections to it. He resigned in favour of the next director, Robert Carcasson.

National Museum

Kenya became independent in 1963. The Coryndon Museum was renamed "National Museum" in 1964 and was included in a new system, the "National Museums of Kenya." In 1967 Richard Leakey was having irreconcilable differences with Louis Leakey, his employer in the centre, and decided to improve the National Museum. His main objection was that it had not been Kenyanized. He and supporters formed the Kenya Museum Associates, which obtained an observer's seat for Richard on the board from Carcasson in exchange for a 5000-pound contribution. Richard did not do much observing, as he departed for the first Omo expedition.

The Kenya Museum Associates included Joel Ojal, the museum overseer in the government. On his return from Omo Richard gave his ideas for improvement directly to Joel, who asked the chairman, Sir Ferdinand Cavendish-Bentinck, to place Richard in a senior position and begin replacing the board with Kenyans of Kenyan extraction, as there were only two out of 16 in that category. The penalty for inaction would be removal of government funding.

Richard was at first offered a part-time executive position, which he turned down. Over the next few months much of the board was replaced and in May 1968 the new board offered Richard a permanent post as administrative director, with Carcasson to be retained as scientific director. However, Carcasson resigned and Richard became director.

Gallery of Kenyan Ethnic Communities

This gallery contains artwork by Joy Adamson featuring various Kenyan communities in traditional attire.

Modern events and facilities

On 15 October 2005 Nairobi Museum Galleries closed until December 2007 for an extensive rebuilding program. This was the first major renovation of Nairobi Museum since 1930. A new administration block and commercial center were built, and NMK's physical planning was improved.^[6]

The museum re-opened in June 2008. It houses both temporary and permanent exhibitions.^[6]

Within the grounds are also the Nairobi Snake Park and the Botanic Garden and nature trail. The museum's commercial wing has restaurants and shops.

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  Bird taxidermy in Nairobi National Museum
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  African Rhino taxidermy in Nairobi National Museum
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  Bee Section in Nairobi National Museum
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  Bird Maps in Nairobi National Museum
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  Kenya Shilling Security Features in Nairobi National Museum

Scientific Directorates and Departments

The DNRR is organized into specialized departments that facilitate taxonomic research, environmental monitoring, and the study of human origins.

• Earth Sciences Department: Manages approximately over 350,000 fossils, including a collection of 700 hominin specimens from the East African Rift. Key holdings include the Turkana Boy (Homo erectus) and Kenyanthropus platyops. Research focuses on palaeoclimatology and the reconstruction of Plio-Pleistocene ecosystems.^[7]

• Zoology Department: Houses the largest faunal reference collection in East Africa. It is divided into sections for mammalogy, ornithology, herpetology, and ichthyology. The Entomology section alone contains approximately over 5 million specimens. The department operates a Molecular Genetics Laboratory used for species identification and wildlife forensics to support anti-poaching frameworks.

• Botany Department (East African Herbarium): Established in 1902, the herbarium (EAH) curates nearly 1 million plant vouchers. Research activities include plant taxonomy, systematics, and phytochemistry, with a focus on the documentation of indigenous medicinal flora and high-altitude biodiversity.^[8]

• Cultural Anthropology Department: Manages ethnographic and archaeological collections documenting the technological and social history of Kenya's 45 ethnic groups. It houses the Joy Adamson collection, comprising over 600 ethnographic portraits painted between 1945 and 1955.

• Centre for Biodiversity: A cross-disciplinary unit that utilizes Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for ecological mapping. It integrates data from the biological departments to advise on national conservation policy and climate change adaptation.

• Resource Centre: Incorporates the library of the East Africa Natural History Society, one of the oldest scientific libraries in Africa. It maintains the national archives for botanical and zoological publications and is currently implementing a digitization program for rare manuscripts.

Functions as a National Repository

As a designated state repository, the NMK fulfills several statutory functions:

• Taxonomic Baseline: Providing reference material for the identification of East African flora and fauna.
• Bioprospecting Support: Maintaining the legal and scientific records of biological resources to protect national intellectual property.
• Education and Knowledge Transfer: Interpreting research data for the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and facilitating STEAM learning through the Education Department.

Natural History Collections

These collections document East Africa’s biodiversity and geological and evolutionary history, and are used as reference materials for scientific study.

• Palaeontology: NMK curates a large fossil collection that includes hominin and non-hominin specimens from across East Africa. Notable materials include Turkana Boy, one of the most complete Homo erectus skeletons discovered, Proconsul africanus, an early Miocene primate, and Paranthropus aethiopicus (commonly referred to as the "Black Skull").^[10]

• Zoology:
  • Entomology: The insect collections support research in biodiversity, agriculture, and ecology, including studies of pollinators and disease vectors.
  • Ichthyology & Herpetology: The collections include preserved fish, reptiles, and amphibians from a variety of habitats, including freshwater ecosystems such as Rift Valley lakes.
  • Mammalogy & Ornithology: The collections include mammal skins, skeletal material, and bird specimens used for comparative and taxonomic research. A notable exhibit is the taxidermy specimen of Ahmed of Marsabit, associated with Kenya’s wildlife conservation history.^[11]

• Botany (East African Herbarium): The herbarium houses a large reference collection of plant specimens (herbarium vouchers) representing flora from across East Africa. The collection supports taxonomic research and includes specimens from diverse ecological zones, including montane environments such as Mount Kenya.

Cultural and Historical Collections

These collections preserve material culture and historical records documenting human societies in Kenya and the wider East African region.

• Archaeology: The archaeological collections include stone tools and associated materials from significant prehistoric sites such as Olorgesailie, known for extensive Acheulean assemblages, and Lomekwi 3, associated with some of the earliest known stone tools.^[12]

• Ethnography: NMK maintains collections representing the material culture of Kenya’s diverse communities, including tools, clothing, ornaments, and ceremonial objects.
  • The Joy Adamson Collection: Comprises ethnographic artworks depicting cultural attire and practices of Kenyan communities, produced during the mid-20th century and used as visual documentation of traditional lifeways.^[13]

• History and Numismatics: The collections include archival photographs, historical documents, and currency specimens from different periods of Kenya’s history, supporting research into the country’s economic and political development.

Research Function

Research activities follow an integrated workflow including field collection, laboratory analysis, curation, and data management. Outputs are used to inform:

• Scientific publications in journals such as Nature and Science
• Museum exhibitions and educational outreach
• National policy and conservation initiatives

Function within National Context

Within Kenya’s institutional framework, NMK operates under the National Museums and Heritage Act 2006 as:

• A national repository for biological and cultural collections
• A research institution supporting multiple scientific disciplines
• A conservation authority for UNESCO World Heritage Sites and national monuments.^[15]

This integrated structure enables NMK to maintain continuity between collection, research, preservation, and dissemination of Kenya’s heritage.